Groppi's and Highbury

What: Groppi’s

Where: 1441 E. Russell Ave, Bay View

When: Saturday, January 11, 2013

It was inevitable that I would make my way to Groppi’s before too long.  I’ve visited all of the surrounding establishments: Palomino, Cactus Club, Garibaldi’s.  It was a lazy Saturday afternoon.  Adam and I had just left the Highbury.  The Highbury is another fine pub with a special place in our hearts.  The Highbury is a soccer bar.  If you have never been to a soccer bar, you are missing out one of life’s sweetest feelings.  My most memorable Highbury experience was when we lived in Tosa in 2009.  Adam’s team, Manchester United, was playing on a Saturday morning.  Mind you, the games are shown live, from England.  With the time zone difference, the game started around 6:00am.  Adam and I didn’t have a car at the time, so we crawled out of bed earlier than one should on a weekend morning.  We got dressed in our Man U gear and headed to the bus stop.  We took the 10 Bus to downtown, walked to where we would pick up the 15 and waited.  It’s approximately 5:30 in the morning.  We’re standing on a corner in downtown Milwaukee, and it starts snowing.  There is nobody out on the streets.  No traffic.  It was one of those magical life moments that warms your soul when recalled.  The bus arrives and we snuggle together while travelling down KK.  We get off the bus across the street from the Highbury.  The snow is falling and it’s eerily silent.  As we open the doors to the Highbury, we’re met with a deafening roar.  

A typical soccer game at the Highbury

The bar is packed with fans in soccer jerseys, drunk with excitement.  The warmth of the room warms our cheeks, as we belly up to the bar for a Bloody Mary.  The next 90 minutes are filled with an electricity only soccer fans can produce.  The game ends, we leave the bar and it’s an interesting feeling being a little tipsy at 8am.  

Friends gather at the Highbury

Highbury Buds

The sense of community to be felt by a bar full of soccer fans at 6am is so special.  This Saturday was not quite as exciting as that first trip to the Highbury, but now there is a familiarity when we go.  We watched Barcelona play an exciting game, then headed out to pick up some food for dinner.   We headed to Groppi’s to see what options we could find there.

The G. Groppi Food Market was opened in 1913 by an Italian family who lived in Bay View.  Local historian, John Manke, has a very insightful description of the Groppi family history.  You can find more information here.

The small market is quite packed with an assortment of delicious local and fresh food.  There are fresh meats, fresh baked goods, a deli, beautiful produce, and a great cheese selection.  I also have to mention that their beer selection was exquisite and had a fantastic selection of Wisconsin beers, including some of my favorites from O’so, Hinterland and Central Waters Breweries.  After browsing the food selections, we picked out some local honey and a Milwaukee Pizza Company frozen pizza.  

Delicious Pizza. Nom. Nom.

As I mentioned, there is an array of local products.  The only complaint I have heard about Groppi’s is that the prices can be a little steep.  There’s no denying that prices are higher than the chain grocery stores, but an occasional trip for high quality local products to support a community establishment is definitely a must.  I look forward to discovering what treasures I can find at Groppi’s over time!